SCORE Journal

SCORE-Journal-March-2022

SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing

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MAXIMUM EXPOSURE A Polaris UTV Built For Fun And Camera Work By SCORE Journal Staff Photos by Get Some Photo During the COVID-19 pandemic, many off-road enthusiasts found that hitting the trails was one of the best ways to have some fun while remaining safely distanced from others. For SCORE Official Photographer and seven-time SCORE Photographer Of The Year, Art Eugenio, he wanted his young daughter to experience off-roading in a safe, but fun way. He purchased his uncle’s 2012 Polaris Ranger RZE 900 LE and began taking his daughter out to enjoy the trails near his hometown of Imperial, CA. Growing up around off-road racing, Eugenio became a full-time photographer, traveling to many races across the United States, Baja, Mexico, and globally. With a full-size Ford Bronco and F-150 pickup that are built more like a pre-runner than a grocery-getter, Eugenio quickly reached the limits of his Polaris. “The more I drove it, I found how much fun UTVs could be, but also learned the shortcomings of the car for rough desert near where I live,” said Eugenio. “I also discovered the Polaris would be an advantage to using it for my off-road race photography, so over the past two years, I began to build upon its capabilities.” Eugenio began by using quick-release seats, allowing him to convert the car for work and fun. “Only the driver’s seat, a Sparco EVO II, is hard-mounted to the chassis,” says Eugenio. “I mounted a seat base to a Pelican hard case that holds camera gear and allows me to easily access it. I built a seat riser and added a Simpson 170 Aggressor child racing seat for my daughter to swap it out with the camera case when I want to head out with my daughter.” A set of PRP racing harnesses were also added to improve their safety while driving. Making the Polaris more capable included adding an HCR long-travel suspension that is six inches wider and four inches longer than stock. With the addition of King 2.5” HCR race-series shocks, the Polaris now has 18” of wheel travel. Riding on a set of Dirty-Live Roadkill 9302 wheels and 32x10R14 BFGoodrich KM3 UTV Tires, the Polaris can smooth out the roughest roads and has plenty of traction. Eugenio also strengthened the Polaris with a Fabwerx cage and bumpers and installed additional vehicle protection in the form of Tusk Skid plates underneath the vehicle. Now that the Polaris was more personalized, he added his company’s name to the side (Get Some Photo) with his graphic design that was installed by Mad Graphix. No serious UTV would be caught at night without some aftermarket lighting, so Eugenio added a set of Baja Designs headlights and Squadron-Pro driving lights, and a 40” light bar. While the factory 875cc naturally aspirated factory engine was left alone, along with the factory transmission, Eugenio knows that many of Polaris’ drivetrain capabilities were born from the company’s involvement in Baja racing. He was confident with the car’s power capabilities but added a KWT Particle Separator air intake kit to keep the engine from inhaling too much dirt and prevent clogging of the engine’s air filter. Knowing that Baja racers carry lots of equipment to make repairs on the spot, Eugenio also outfitted his car with a Savage UTV tool bot kit and 1Life Trauma first-aid kit. A fire extinguisher is mounted to the roll cage via a Savage UTV mount, and RotoPax fuel cans provide more travel time to get back to his basecamp when out in the open. An HCR spare tire carrier hauls another full size-spare, while communication and navigation come in the form of a Rugged Radio intercom, and a mount for an iPad Pro 11 that he uses to find his way. The efforts in upgrading the car allow Eugenio to reach areas of racecourses that are typically not accessible even to the most capable of pre-runners. While it’s not a long camera lens or heavy-duty tripod, Eugenio’s Polaris is, however, one of the reasons his photos are some of the best in the motorsports industry. SJ

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